Dec 20, 2013 3:24 PM

I pulled everything out and can not see any traces of more or any other bug-type things so am very curious as to what this is and where it might have come from. It was alive when I found it, brown in colour, about 8mm long and had several whiskers at one end. Thanks. ZoeJ.

My first thought is silverfish (Lepisma saccharina and other species).

But yours looks from the photos to be rather brownish, and I can't see some finer details like antennae because of lack of sharpness in the photo (I quite understand). So I am not sure. I'll need your observations...

Thanks Mike, really appreicate your help. Looking at the links you supplied it's more like the silverfish but I think I know what they are as they are quite common. This is more brown in colour and the whiskers are definately whisker looking rather than antennae looking (if you know what I mean!). I've taken 2 more picture which are a litlte better, although still not great. If you wouldn't mind taking another look that would be great. We live in a very old cottage with wooden beams etc and am really hoping it's nothing to do with beetles etc.

Thanks Mike, really appreicate your help. Looking at the links you supplied it's more like the silverfish but I think I know what they are as they are quite common. This is more brown in colour and the whiskers are definately whisker looking rather than antennae looking (if you know what I mean!). I've taken 2 more picture which are a litlte better, although still not great. If you wouldn't mind taking another look that would be great. We live in a very old cottage with wooden beams etc and am really hoping it's nothing to do with beetles etc.

This is the larva of a 'Carpet beetle' and on of the Attagenus species, probably Attagenus pelio as this is the commonest species in domestic situations - it is commonly called the Two-spot carpet beetle. The larvae feed on a wide variety of dead organic material, this can include piles of lambs wool/cashmere jumpers in a wardrobe dis guarded hair and other debris under skirting boards or abandoned bird and wasp nests. One on its own is not a problem but it would be wise to shake a few woollens out just to be sure. If you do find that anything has been infested then place these in the domestic freezer for about a week and that will kill adults, larvae and eggs - but your jumpers may only then be good for Sundays because they are 'holy'